Synchronized multi-roll wet process apparatus for tubular knitted fabrics



July 19, 1966 E. COHN ETAL 3,261,184

SYNCHRONIZED MULTI-ROLL WET PROCESS APPARATUS FOR TUBULAR KNITTED FABRICS 2 SheetsSheet 1 Filed March 4. 1964 INVENTORS EUGENE COHN FRANK CATALLO @M aw ATTORNEYS July 19, 1966 E. COHN ETAL 3,261,184

SYNCHRONIZED MULTI-ROLL WET PROCESS APPARATUS FOR TUBULAR KNITTED FABRICS Filed March 4, 1.964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.

HI Hi INVENTORS EUGENE COHN FRANK CATALLO 770M ATTORNE s United States Patent 3 261 184 SYNCHRONIZED MULTi-ROLL WET PROCESS APPARATUS FOR TUBULAR KNITTED FABRICS Eugene Cohn, Great Neck, and Frank Catallo, Elmont,

N .Y., assignors to Samcoe Holding Corporation, Woodside, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Mar. 4, 1964, Ser. No. 349,301 12 Claims. (Cl. 6822) The present invention is directed to improvements in equipment for processing tubular knitted fabric and is directed more specifically to an improved apparatus incorporating a plurality of dissimilar rollers, forming nips for wet processing tubular knitted fabric, in which the various roller pairs forming working nips are synchronized in an improved and advantageous manner to enable the tubular knitted fabric to be processed uniformly and without undesirable distortions.

The system of the present invention is particularly applicable to triangular padding machines for the treatment of tubular knitted fabric. Such a machine, in part, forms the subject matter of the copending United States application Serial No. 84,075, filed January 23, 1961, now United States Patent No. 3,207,616, by Samuel Cohn et ah, to which reference may be made for further details. In general, the triangular padding machine consists of three rollers arranged in inverted triangular configuration and forming a reservoir for a treating solution. A processing spreader is arranged to direct tubular knitted fabric in flat, two-layer form and at predetermined width onto one of the rollers, referred to for convenience as an entry-side roller, which conveys the fabric through a first working nip consisting of the entry-side roller and a center roller located at the apex of the inverted triangle. The tubular knitted fabric is directed through the first working nip, in which air is squeezed out of the fabric or, if the incoming fabric is in wet condition, the liquid content of the fabric is reduced to a predetermined level. As the fabric is released from the first working nip, it enters a treating liquid and is advantageously conveyed through the liquid while being maintained in contact with the bottom roller and while remaining wholly submerged within the treating liquid. This causes the fabric to draw desired amounts of the liquid into its fibers.

After saturation by the treating liquid, the tubular knitted fabric, while still in contact with the center roller, passes through a second working nip formed by the center roller and by a third roller, referred to for convenience as the exit-side roller.

In general, the equipment outlined above and forming the subject matter of the above-mentioned copending United States application Serial No. 84,075 functions very advantageously to effect wet processing of tubular knitted fabric in a uniform and desirable manner while maintaining proper control over the dimensions of the fabric. However, in certain instances, difficulties may be experienced in connection with a tendency for the fabric to gather between the processing nips, which may cause creasing and other imperfections as the gathered fabric from time to time passes through the exit-side working nip of the apparatus. In the three-roll padder, it has been deemed desirable and advantageous to drive only the center roller, in view of mechanical conveniences arising from the fact that the entry-side and exit-side rollers are adjustably movable toward and away from the center roller, and in view of the theoretically perfect synchronization of the entry-side and exit-side rollers when driven by friction contact with the center roller. However, in practice, the fabric has exhibited a tendency, under certain circumstances, to gather until, when a sufficient ex- 3,261,134 Patented July 19, 1966 cess of the material has been gathered, it is folded over and passed through the exit-side working nip forming a crease.

As one of the discoveries leading to the present invention, it was found that the entry-side and exit-side rollers, although driven by direct frictional drive (through the interposed fabric) from the center roller, actually traveled at slightly different surface speeds than the center roller. This, it was found, resulted from the fact that the several rollers were designed to have resilient surfaces of different hardness, such that, at each of the roller nips, deformation of the opposed pair of rollers was slightly different. The softer roller of each pair, with slightly greater deformation under the applied working pressures, tends to travel at a slower surface speed than the opposing roller, even though driven directly thereby on a surface-to-surface basis, and the fabric being driven through the nip tends to travel at a speed which is an intermediate of the roller surface speeds. In a three-roll padding machine of the general type mentioned above, the exit-side nip is designed to be softer than the entry-side nip. Accordingly, since each nip has one common roller, the effective or fabric speed at the first nip will tend to be higher than at the second nip. This apparently anomalous circumstance tends to cause gathering of the fabric between the nips, as will be understood.

It is a specific aspect of the invention, therefore, to provide a three-roll wet processing apparatus, particularly for tubular knitted fabric, including resilient roller pairs of different hardness characteristics forming Working nips, in which the various rollers, although operating essentially vin surface-to-surface contacting relation are, in addition,

positively driven by external means substantially at a desired theoretical surface speed, such that both nips will have equal effective speeds (the term effective speed being used herein to describe the speed at which a nip will drive a fabric web). Further, the invention provides for a wet processing padder, particularly for tubular knitted fabrics, in which certain rollers are brought into controlled pressure relation to form predetermined working nips and in which the several rollers are externally and mechanically synchronized in a way which not only accommodates adjustable movements of the nip forming rollers, but also substantially isolates the drive synchronizing forces from the forces acting upon the rollers to con trol nip pressures.

In accordance with the further specific aspect of the invention, a synchronizing system is provided for a threeroll padding machine of the type described, which includes a special synchronizing chain drive and novel and advantageous arrangements for accommodating substantial movements of the rollers driven by the synchronizing chain while providing for the chain to be maintained in a proper condition of tautness during normal operation of the equipment.

In its broadest concept, the invention comprises a group of three triangularly related rollers forming two resilient roller nips for processing fabric. The roller nips include a common roller and rollers of differing surface resilience arranged to be operated in substantially surfa-ce-to-surface contacting relation with the common roller and, at the same time, being positively connected by an external synchronizing drive to approach theoretical surface synchronism. By substantially in surface-to-surface contacting relation it is meant that there is a significant tendency, at least, for one roller to be driven by the other through an interposed fabric, and it is a specific aspect of the present invention that the inter-posed fabric may be a tubular knitted fabric in flat, two-layered form, since such fabric is susceptible to relative movement between its two layers, and also to distortion because of its elastic 'and dimensionally unstable nature.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed specification and to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a three-roll padding apparatus inconporating the principles of the invention; and

'FIG. 2 is an elevational view of a modified form of the invention.

Referring now to the drawing and initially to FIG. 1 thereof, the reference numeral designates generally a frame structure of a triangular padding machine, which may generally be in accordance with the principles of the before-mentioned copending United States application Serial No. 84,075. The frame 10 mounts a pair of hearing brackets 11, which serve to journal a center or bottom processing roller 12. In the apparatus of the invention, the roller 12 has resilient surface characteristics, advantageously provided by a steel roller core 13, about which is provided a suitable resilient surface covering 14. Typically and advantageously, the center roller 12 may be provided with a resilient covering of about 100 durometer density.

Suitable means, not specifically shown, are provided for driving the center roller 12 at a controlled speed. Typical facilities for this purpose may include a drive sprocket (not shown) attached to one end of the roller and connected through conventional variable speed control facilities to a drive motor, which drive motor may also be utilized to supply power to other component elements of a line of processing equipment.

Secured-to the journal brackets 11 by pivot pin connect-ions 15 is an entry-side journal frame 16, which journals and supports an entry-side processing roller .17. Similarly, an exit-side journal frame 18 is secured to the journal brackets 11 by .a pivot pin connection 19 and serves to journal and support an exit-side processing roller 20.

By entry-side and exit-side reference is made to the direction of travel of a tubular knitted fabric 2 1 through the machine during processing, as will be understood. In other words, as viewed in FIG. 1, the fabric 21 travels from left to right, in which case the left side of the machine is the entry-side, as that term is used herein.

As indicated in FIG. 1, the entry-side processing roller 17 comprises a steel core 22 and a resilient surface covering 23, while the exit-side of the processing roller comprises a steel core 24 and a resilient outer covering 25. In the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1, the density or hardness of the entry-side roller surface covering 23 is substantially equal to that of the center processing roller 1 12, or approximately 100 durometer. The resilient covering 25 of the exit-side roller, however, is of lesser density or hardness, advantageously being of about 80 durometer.

The journal frames 16, '18 are connected to suitable actuator elements 26, 27, which typically include pneumatic cylinder-type actuators. The actuators are arranged to draw downward on the outer ends of the journal frames 16, i18, to swing the processing rollers 17, 20 contr-ollably toward and into contacting relation with the center processing roller 12. By appropriate actuator adjustment, and taking into account the relative density of the rollers, it is advantageous to provide, in a typical three-roll padding machine, of the type contemplated in our copending application Serial No. 84,075, now United States Patent No. 3,207,616, an entry-side or extracting nip pressure of about 350 pounds per linear inch between the rollers 17, 11-2, and an exit-side or padding nip pressure of about 200 pounds per linear inch between the rollers 20, -12.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the apparatus includes means for delivering tubular knitted fabric to the working roller nips in flat, two-layered form and set to predetermined, uniform width. The means for delivering include a propelling spreader 28, advantageously of the type described and claimed in the earlier United States Patents No. 2,589,344 and No. 2,589,345, granted March 18, 1952, to Samuel Cohn et al. If the tubular knitted fabric 21 is to be processed in dry form, suitable steaming means 29 typically will be associated with the spreader 28.

As explained in more detail in the copending application Serial No. 84,075 of Samuel Cohn et al., an advantageous form of three-roll process padding is provided by the inverted triangular configuration of the processing rollers 12, 17, 20, when provided adjacent their ends with suitable sealing plates (not specificially shown) to form a treating liquid reservoir whose bottom and side walls are defined by the rollers .and whose end walls are defined by the sealing plates. Tubular knitted fabric, set to predetermined, uniform width, is delivered in fiat, twolayered form by the spreader 28 directly onto the surface of the entry-side roller 17, whereupon it is carried through the entry-side or extracting nip, in which the two-layered fabric is squeezed under considerable pressure. Simultaneously with the emergence of the fabric from the entryside nip, it enters the reservoir of treating liquid, and desirable amounts of the liquid are drawn uniformly into the fibers of the fabric. The fabric is then conveyed through the treating liquid while being maintained in contact with the center roller '12 for desired dimensional stability, and the liquid impregnated fabric is passed through and discharged from the exit-side or padding nip formed by the rollers 20, 12. The padding nip pressure is so calculated as to permit a predetermined, uniform amount of treating liquid to be retained by the fabric, which is then suitably conveyed away.

As a basic aspect of the present invention, it was discovered that a pair of processing rollers of different density or hardness, even though substantially in surface-to-surface contacting relation (i.e., separated only by the interposed fabric), would operate at slightly different surface speeds when one of the rollers was driven directly and the other roller driven conventionally through the substantially surface-to-surface contact. This was contrary to expectations, which suggested that ideal surface speed synchronism would be achieved most expeditiously by simply driving one of the pair of contacting nip rollers. However, we observed that, because of the resilient nature of the rollers and the deformation of the roller surfaces under nip pressure, the softer one of a pair of dissimilar resilient rollers tended to run measurably slower than the harder roller. Specifically, in a three-roller processor having a roller diameter of about 9 inches, the surface speed differential between a 100 durometer center roller and an durometer exit-side roller differed by about as much as 9 inches per minute when processing fabric at a rate of 50 yards per minute.

Although a surface speed differential between dissimilar processing rollers may be tolerable for most applications, it was found to be undesirable for certain processing operations performed on a three-roll processor, and particularly in connection !with the processing of tubular knitted fabric. If the two roller nips of the apparatus are not operated at synchronized effective speeds, the fabric tends to gather in advance of the exit-side roller nip, until the gathered amount becomes excessive and the fabric simply folds over and passes through the processing nip forming an unsightly imperfection.

In accordance with the invention, a pair of dissimilar resilient processing roller nips of a triangular processing apparatus are connected in a novel and advantageous manner by a synchronizing chain, which positively drives the otherwise slower-running rollers at surface speed synchronism with the common roller. The arrangement is such that,.when the system is in actual operation, the fabric will be driven at equal speeds atboth processing nips, without any tendency to bulge or gather. The significance of the synchronizing drive may be easily understood and appreciated when the equipment is operated without fabric passing between the rollers, in which case the rollers can be audibly detected to be slipping relative to each other, even though, in fact, they are being driven substantially in surface speed synchronism.

As another specific aspect of the invention, the synchronizing chain is so disposed and arranged with respect to a synchronized roller that the resultant forces applied by the synchronizing chain do not significantly affect the nip pressure relationships of the apparatus. Thus, as specifically illustrated in FIG. 1, the power driven center roller 12 is provided at one end with a synchronizing drive sprocket 30 which is associated with a drive sprocket 31 fixed to the end of the exit-side processing roller 29 in such a way as to establish surface speed synchronism. Typically, the processing rollers 12, 20 may be of equal diameter, in which case the synchronizing sprockets 30, 31 will be of the same size. A first fixed idler sprocket 32 is journaled on the machine frame on one side of the synchronizing drive sprocket 30, and a second normally fixed idler sprocket 33 is mounted on the opposite side of the drive sprocket. The arrangement is such that a synchronizing chain 34 travels over and around (in a clockwise direction) the drive sprocket 39, under and around the normally fixed idler sprocket 33, over and counter clockwise around the synchronizing sprocket 31, counterclockwise around the idler sprocket 32 and back to the synchronizing drive sprocket 30. In addition, for reasons to be described in more detail, the chain travels clockwise around a portion of a movable diverting idler sprocket 35 disposed generally between the synchronizing sprocket 31 and the normally fixed idler sprocket 33.

As illustrated clearly in FIG. 1, the reaches of the synchronizing chain extending to and from the synchronizing sprocket 31 straddle the pivot pin connection 19. The tension forces in the upper reach of the chain thus tend to pivot the journal frame 13 counterclockwise, to reduce the nip pressure of the exit-side roller 20. On the other hand, the tension forces in the lower reach of the chain tend to pivot the journal frame in a clockwise direction, in opposition to the effect of the tension forces in the upper chain reach. As will be observed, the effective moment arm of the lower chain reach is greater than that of the upper chain reach. However, this is offset by the fact that the tension in the upper chain reach is greater than that in the lower chain reach by an amount corresponding to the power required to effect synchronizing of the roller 20. The overall arrangement is such that the resultant force passes substantially through the axis of the pivot pin connection 19, 20. The synchronizing chain forces are thus effectively isolated from the actuating system for adjusting the nip pressure.

In the system of FIG. 1, substantial raising and lowering of the outer end of the journal frame 18, as may be desired for threading of cloth through the apparatus, periodic maintenance or cleaning, etc., will increase the direct distance around the system comprising the two synchronizing sprockets and the two normally fixed idler sprockets .32, 33. Accordingly, to accommodate opening movements of the exit-side processing roller 20, without dismantling the synchronizing chain, the movable idler roller 35 is carried by an arm 36 fixed to the journal frame 18. When the journal frame 18 is pivoted about its connection 19, the idler sprocket 35 will be moved through a predetermined distance, which is a function of the length of the arm 36, generally toward and away from the path of the chain traveling from the idler sprocket 33 to the synchronizing sprocket 31.

In its initial or normal position, when the processing rollers '12, 21 are in desired pressure contacting relation, the idler sprocket 35 is so positioned as to divert the synchronizing chain substantially inward to the left from its straight line reach from the idler sprocket 33 to the synchronizing sprocket 31. Subsequently, when the outer end of the journal frame 18 is raised, the movable outer idler 35 moves outward to the right, allowing the upward chain reach to straighten out sufficiently to accommodate the increased distance around the other sprockets.

In the system illustrated in FIG. 1, the processing rollers 12 and 17 are of similar construction and have resilient coverings of similar density or hardness, so that surface speed synchronism is obtained simply by bringing the two rollers substantially in surface-to-surface contacting relation. However, as will be understood, if it is desirable or expedient to utilize dissimilar processing roilers, surface speed synchronism may be obtained by a system similar to that specifically illustrated for the synchronizing of the exit-side processing roller 20.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a modificed from of appara tus is shown for obtaining surface speed synchronization in a three-roll padding machine in which all of the rollers are of dissimilar resilience. In the illustration of FIG. 2, the reference numeral designates a frame structure in which is journaled a center roller 51. A drive input sprocket 52 is fixed to one end of the center roller and is engaged by a drive chain 53 connected to a suitable source of driving power (not shown). At the entry side of the machine, a journal frame 54 is secured by a pivot pin connection 55 and journals an entry-side proc essing roller 56. Similarly, a journal frame 57 is secured to the main frame structure by a pivot pin connection 58 and serves to journal an exit-side processing roller 59. By suitable means, such as an actuator 60, the journal frames 54, 57 are arranged to be pivoted about the pin connections 55, 58 to bring the processing rollers 56, 59 into desired pressure connection with the center roller 51. In this respect, as in many others, the equipment of FIG. 2 incorporates features disclosed in the copending United States application Serial No. 84,075 now United States Patent 'No. 3,207,616, mentioned above.

The apparatus includes a propelling spreader designated generally by the numeral 61, which is arranged to deliver tubular knitted fabric 62 at a predetermined, uniform width and in fiat, two-layered form to the entry-side roller 56.

In a typical apparatus of the type shown in FIG. 2, the processing rollers 51, 56 and 59 may have resilient surface coverings of 100, 90 and 80 durometer, respectively, so that each of the two processing nips is comprised of dissimilar roller pairs. In such as case, it is appropriate to synchronize the entry-side roller 56, as well as the exitside roller 59, with the driven center roller 51. To this end, the entryand exit-side rollers are provided with synchronizing sprockets 63, 64, respectively, and the driven center roller is provided with a synchronizing drive sprocket 65. A normally fixed idler sprocket 66 is mounted below the exit-side roller 59, advantageously for rotation about the axis of the pivot pin 58. A second idler sprocket 67 is mounted by an adjustable cam plate 68 for rotation about the axis The nominal location of the second idler sprocket axis 69 advantageously coincides with the axis of the pivot pin 55. However, provision is made for adjustment by manipulation of the cam plate 68 in order to achieve desired chain tension, and the effect of this is to displace the sprocket slightly from its nominal location.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, a synchronizing chain 70 travels clockwise under and around the main synchronizing drive sprocket 65, counterclockwise over and around the synchronizing sprocket 63, counterclockwise around the idler sprockets 67, 66, counterclockwise over and around the synchronizing sprocket 64 and back to the synchronizing drive sprocket 65. The tension reaches of the chains traveling to and from the synchronizing sprockets 64, 63 straddle the pivot pin connections 55, 58 and are advantageously so disposed that the resultant chain forces pass substantially directly through the axes of the pivot pins. Thus, ideally, the synchronizing chain forces are without effect upon the adjustment of the nip pressures.

In any of its various forms, the apparatus of the invention provides a novel arrangement for processing fabrics in a three-roll, triangular processor which accommodates nip rollers of dissimilar resilience and, at the same time,

enables the fabric to be processed without gathering or otherwise causing distortions of the fabric.

In its most advantageous form, for processing tubular knitted fabric, the apparatus of the invention includes, in combination with means to supply tubular knitted fabric in fiat, two-layer form, means for effecting positive, effective speed synchronization of a pair of processing roller nips of dissimilar resiliency which are formed by rollers disposed substantially in surface-to-surface contacting relation with a common, driven roller. The construction of the invention also accommodates nip pressure adjustment and control by arrranging for the substantial isolation of synchronizing chain forces from a nip pressure adjustment system.

It will be understood that the specific apparatus herein illustrated and described is intended to be representative only, as certain changes may be made therein without departing from the clear teachings of the disclosure. By way of example only, it may be practicable to achieve the advantages of the invention by partial surface speed synchronization of one roller pair, or even by driving a normally synchronized pair out of synchronism, so that, in any event, the effective speed of both of two dissimilar roller pairs of a three-roll processor is substantially identical. Accordingly, reference should be made to the following appended claims in determining the full scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for processing fabric which comprises (a) a first pair of processing rollers forming a first processing nip,

(b) a second pair of processing rollers, including one of the rollers of the first pair, forming a second processing nip,

() the processing rollers of at least one pair being of different effective hardness,

(d) means forming a liquid reservoir in advance of said second nip,

(e) nip pressure means for maintaining said pairs of processing rollers under controllable pressure substantially in surface-to-surface contacting relation,

(f) means for driving said one roller,

(g) a synchronizing chain positively connecting said one roller with the other roller of said one pair for effecting rotational movement of said other roller substantially in synchronized and unvarying surface speed relationship with said one roller, and

(h) means to guide said synchronizing chain in a predetermined manner, relative to said nip pressure means whereby forces acting through said synchronizing chain are substantially isolated from the effective forces applied by said nip pressure means.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, in which (a) said nip pressure means comprises means for mounting a movable roller for bodily movement about a predetermined pivot axis toward and away from the opposed roller of a roller pair, and

(b) said means to guide comprises idler sprocket means so positioned that the resultant force of said synchronizing chain on said movable roller is directed substantially through said pivot axis.

3. Apparatus for processing fabric which comprises (a) a first pair of processing rollers forming a first processing nip,

(b) a second pair of processing rollers, including one of the rollers of the first pair, forming a second processing nip,

(c) a processing roller of at least one pair having a dissimilar effective hardness from that of the other processing roller to which it is paired,

(d) nip pressure means for maintaining said pairs of processing rollers under controllable pressure substantially in surface-to-surface contacting relation,

(e) said nip pressure means comprises means for mounting a movable one of said dissimilar roller pair for bodily movement about a predetermined pivot axis toward and away from its opposed roller of the roller pair,

(f) means for driving said one opposed roller,

(g) a synchronizing chain connecting said driven roller with the movable roller of said one pair for effecting rotational movement of said movable roller substantially in synchronized surface speed relationship with said opposed roller,

(11) means to guide said synchronizing chain in a predetermined manner, relative to said nip pressure means, whereby forces acting through said synchronizing chain are substantially isolated from the effective forces applied to said nip pressure means,

(i) said means to guide said chain comprises idler sprocket means so positioned that the resultant force of said synchronizing chain on said movable roller is directed substantially through said pivot axis,

(j) said idler sprocket means includes normally fixed idler sprockets so positioned relative to said pivot axis as to cause lengthening of the synchronizing chain path when said movable roller is moved out of contacting relation with said opposed roller, and

(k) a movable idler sprocket means is carried by said nip pressure means for automatically diverting the travel of and maintaining desired tension in the synchronizing chain when said movable roller is moved toward contacting relation with said opposed roller.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, in which (a) said movable roller is mounted on a journal frame pivoted on said pivot axis,

(b) said movable idler sprocket means is mounted on said journal frame generally between the drive sprocket for said movable roller and a normally fixed sprocket means,

(0) said movable idler sprocket means, when moved about said pivot axis, is effective to change the direction of travel of said synchronizing chain between said drive and normally fixed sprocket means.

5. Apparatus for processing fabric which comprises (a) three processing rollers arranged in inverted triangular configuration and forming a pair of processing nips,

(b) an upper one of said rollers and the lower roller forming an entry-side nip,

(c) the other upper roller and the lower roller forming an exit-side nip,

(d) nip pressure means for maintaining said processing rollers under controllable pressure substantially in surface-tmsurface contacting relation,

(e) at least the rollers of said exit-side nip being of dissimilar resiliency,

(f) means for driving the lower roller,

(g) a synchronizing chain connecting at least said roller with the upper roller of said exit-side pair of rollers for effecting rotational movement of said up per roller substantially in synchronized surface speed relationship with said lower roller,

(11) means to guide said synchronizing chain in a predetermined manner, relative to said nip pressure means, whereby forces acting through said synchronizingchain are substantially isolated from the effective forces applied by said nip pressure means.

6. A processing padder for tubular knitted fabric or the like, which comprises (a) means to deliver tubular knitted fabric or the like,

(-b) means including a plurality of roller nips forming a reservoir for treating liquid,

(0) means to drive one roller at each roller nip at a predetermined surface speed,

(d) at least one of the roller pairs forming a roller nip being of dissimilar resilience,

(e) means for maintaining the rollers of said one roller pair substantially in surtace-to-surface contacting relation, and

(f) a chain-like synchronizing element connecting the rollers of one of said roller pairs for positive rotation of said rollers in predetermined surface speed relationship,

(g) whereby said roller nips have equal effective speeds.

7. The processing padder of claim 6, which includes (a) means mounting the non-driven roller of said one roller pair for controllable movement toward and away from the driven roller, and

('b) idler sprocket-like means guiding said synchronizing element along its path toward and away from said non-driven roller, whereby the resultant force applied to said non-driven roller by said synchronizing element is directed generally at right angles to the direction of movement of said non-driven roller.

8. The processing padder of claim 6, in which (a) the non-driven roller of said one roller pair has softer surface characteristics than the driven roller, and

(b) said synchronizing element comprises a positive drive element connected to operate said non-driven roller substantially at theoretical surface speed synchronism with said driven roller.

9. A three-roll processing padder for treating tubular knitted fabric comprising (a) means to deliver tubular knitted fabric in flat, two-layer form and at a uniform predetermined Width,

(b) three padding rollers arranged in pairs substantially in surface'to-surfaee contacting relation and disposed in triangular configuration.

(c) said padding rollers including a center roller, a movable resilient entry-side roller, and a movable resilient exit-side roller,

(d) means for driving said center roller,

(e) means urging said entry-side and exit-side rollers into friction driven relation with said center roller,

(f) chain sprockets mounted on said center roller and at least one of said movable rollers,

(g) a synchronizing chain trained about said sprockets for causing the entry-side and exit-side roller nips to be driven at equal efiective speeds, and

(h) idler sprocket means associated with and guiding said chain in its travel toward and away from said sprockets, whereby the resultant forces applied to the chain-driven movable roller are directed generally at right angles to the axis of movement of said roller and do not significantly aifect the resilient pressures between said center roller and said chaindriven movable roller.

10. The processing padder of claim 9, in which (a) said chain-driven movable roller is mounted for pivotal movement about a predetermined axis,

(b) said resultant forces being directed generally through said pivot axis, and

(c) said idler sprocket means comprises a sprocket mounted for rotation on said predetermined axis.

11. The processing padder of claim 10, in which (a) said padding rollers are disposed in inverted t-riangular configuration with the axes of said entryside and exit-side rollers being above the axis of said center roller,

(b) said pivot axis being located below the axis of said center roller.

12. The processing padder of claim 11, in which synchronizing sprockets are provided on both of said movable rollers, and said synchronizing chain extends (a) around the bottom of the sprocket fixed to said center roller and upward on opposite sides of the sprocket toward the synchronizing sprockets fixed to the respective entry-side and exit-side rollers,

(b) around the tops of the synchronizing sprockets and downward toward the idler sprockets, and- (c) around the bottoms of the idler sprockets and across from one idler sprocket to the other beneath the bottom of the sprocket fixed to the center roller.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,686,413 8/1954 Roublolt et al 162 X FOREIGN PATENTS 704,394 2/1954 Great Britain.

IRVING BUNEVICH, Primary Examiner. 

6. A PROCESSING PADDER FOR TUBULAR KNITTED FABRIC OR THE LIKE, WHICH COMPRISES (A) MEANS TO DELIVER TUBULAR KNITTED FABRIC OR THE LIKE, (B) MEANS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF ROLLER NIPS FORM ING A RESERVOIR FOR TREATING LIQUID, (C) MEANS TO DELIVER ONE ROLLER AT EACH ROLLER NIP AT A PREDETERMINED SURFACE SPEED, (D) AT LEAST ONE OF THE ROLLER PAIRS FORMING A ROLLER NIP BEING OF DISSIMILAR RESILIENCE, MEANS FOR MAINTAINING THE ROLLERS OF SAID ONE ROLLER PAIR SUBSTANTIALLY IN SURFACE-TO-SURFACE CONTACTING RELATION, AND (F) A CHAIN-LIKE SYNCHRONIZING ELEMENT CONNECTING THE ROLLERS OF ONE OF SAID ROLLER PAIRS FOR POSITIVE ROTA- 